He Came First
by IttyBittyDhampir
Summary: I searched his eyes, for a remnant of him. Who he truly was. There was nothing; he was gone. Then, without a moment of hesitation, I gave back everything the Strigoi had taken away from him. My heart tore in two as the stake slid into place.
1. Prologue

**A/n: This is the Prologue to a story I'll write. It takes place immediately after Shadow Kiss (Book 3). Please review! It lets me know I actually have readers, and it gives me the motivation to keep writing. As you have seen, I do quit writing when I have little reviews. Thanks for lending your ear. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. It all belongs to the wonderful creater of the Vampire Academy series, Richelle Mead. **

* * *

I always knew I was crazy. Well maybe not always, but long enough. Plenty of people had hinted it over the years, but I never took a full understanding,_ until now_. Everything I had tried to build up in my eighteen years of guardian training suddenly didn't matter anymore. I had killed Strigoi before, enough to be considered a legend, but nothing could prepare me for what this journey would hold.

Right now, I was on a bus. It wasn't heading directly to my destination, but it was getting me _somewhere._ Confusion, anger, melancholy, and some other unknown feelings, spread through me. Through my bond nonetheless. I shared a psychic bond with the last Dragomir princess, Vasilisa. We had shared this bond ever since I was in a car crash that had killed the last of her family, where she had unexpectedly brought me back from the dead using her spirit power. I tried to shake the feelings; Lissa could not enter my mind and hear my thoughts, but she occasionally tried to tell me things through our one-way connection. Recently it was feelings of aloneness and things like, _Come back Rose _and _He's dead Rose; its no use. _She was talking about Dimitri Belikov, who had secretly been my love interest/instructor for almost a year. Something horrible had happened to him when the Strigoi attacked the Academy barely a month ago. Unlike her accusation, he wasn't dead. No, he was something far worse than death. Something he wouldn't want for himself. Something only I could rid him of. Dimitri had become Strigoi.

Unlike the Moroi, the Strigoi were immortal. The malevolent, inhumane, scary-as-fuck, living dead. And now my Dimitri was one of them. He _never _desired to be Strigoi; as he had once told me on a drive with others, he would want some to kill him if he ever became one of them. Indubitably, I had agreed. This is what I was setting out to do. Kill the man I loved. Not for malicious intent, no. Out of love. He would do it for me, no matter how much it killed him inside.


	2. Picked Up

**A/n: I don't know... should I continue this? I'm thinking of writing one about Adrian too. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. It all belongs to the wonderful creater of the Vampire Academy series, Richelle Mead. **

* * *

I zoned back into the real world as the bus came to a halt.

"Make sure you don't leave anything." the driver called to us.

I quickly checked to see if I had everything. My backpack had my money, food, and water stashed in it. _Check_. The long coat I wore was one I had borrowed from Dimitri before I left. The term _borrowed _had me keeping my head up. We would be okay. It was the Strigoi who should be worrying. _Check. _Last, there was the stake I had conveniently placed in the inside pocket of the jacket. _Check._ As I walked down the steps, Lissa's mind knocked me out of proportions.

"You gave her _money_?" she screamed at Adrian. He was the one who had kindly donated the money I needed to get to Spokane. Of course, it wasn't free. I had agreed to give him a chance at a relationship when I got back. He was a nice guy at times, but during others, he was a complete ass.

"Of course cousin. How else would she get to wherever she's going?"

"Why did you do it?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest.

He hesitated, debating whether or not to tell her our plans. "She said she'd come back for me."

"Adrian! You can't seriously believe that! Y- Do you even know why she left?" she snapped.

"I- no."

"She left to go find Dimitri." she whispered painfully.

I pulled myself out of it; I couldn't look at his face. Adrian had told me all the time that he liked me, and I never considered or even imagined that it was true. Love and flirting are two different things, and you never knew with Adrian. He was another spirit user that Lissa and I had stumbled upon, but he kept sane in a rather disgusting way. He said to me that Lissa gave her emotions to me, so that she stayed stable. Him on the other hand, smoked and drank to kill it off. I had never witnessed him fully drunk before, but he always kept a buzz.

People were staring then. Lissa had pulled me into her so abruptly, that I had forgotten to keep walking. When I started up again I glanced at their faces. In the sunlight, it was hard to distinguish between the living and the dead. If I knew someone on the other side, I waved or if I was alone, sometimes talked to them, but they just stared. I hadn't known about this ability at the academy, and I was just figuring it out. It seemed that since I was _shadow-kissed, _I was the bridge between the two worlds. Shadow-kissed was another thing I had yet to fully figure out. It started when I began to see the ghosts; Mason, of a friend of mine, told me about the Strigoi attacks, and later he revealed that Dimitri had become Strigoi. It also helps when fighting. I can sense when Strigoi are near, which is a really badass power to have if you're a guardian.

In my peripheral vision, I spotted a shabby-looking hotel. It couldn't hurt to stop and sleep for a few hours.

"Hi, can I have a single bedroom please?" I asked the man at the counter. He made me sign a few stuff and then gave me my room key. I hit the bed without taking my coat off. It was hard to go to sleep when the two people you're trying to ignore, are invading them. It had been at least three sleepless days since I had been in a bed. My eyes drifted and I passed out.

Every dream I've had since I figured out Dimitri's fate, has been the same. I find him, and hesitate, like he always told me not to, and he kills me. I know it sounds horrible, but its a lot of practice. After this dream though, I was in a familiar clearing in the sunlight.

"That has got to be the worst nightmare I've ever experienced." a painful voice whispered from behind me.

"I see it every time I close my eyes."

"You don't seem yourself. Ever thought about therapy?" he asked, leaning against a tree.

I rolled my eyes. "Are you kidding me? Its like you're expecting me to come back and forget everything that ever happened with him. I won't do that. I _can't _do that. I hurts me just to be away from him."

"_No._" he said sternly, walking up to me. "I don't expect you to turn away. You _love _him; I get it. If it was you out there, I'd want to get you back. Its a love thing, right? I mean, love makes you crazy. You will do anything, no matter how insane it is, to keep them by you forever."

I couldn't picture Adrian as the kind of person to burst into an amazing speech, but that was pretty awesome. "Wow Adrian. That was nice little speech. What are you going to put together a romantic song too?"

He laughed. "There's the Rose I know."

I smiled and looked down.

"Are you getting anywhere?" he asked casually.

"I'm not telling you where I am." I snapped sharply.

"I didn't ask. I simply want to know if you're succeeding in whatever you are trying to accomplish." he said sarcastically.

"Honestly, I don't know if I can do it. This dream is _really _scaring me. I just wish some Strigoi would pop out of no where and-"

I snapped out of my dream abruptly when two cold hands grabbed me. I screamed and opened my eyes to find, that they had got me.

"You must be Rose." he whispered, carrying me.

I struggled to get free. "Who wants to know?"

"Dimitri has been looking for you." he smiled wryly.

I stopped. "Dimitri?"

"Yes. He said he had some unfinished business to take care of with you. How did you piss him off?" he asked. His eyes sparkled with compulsion.

I blew it off. This man knew Dimitri! "I'm his fiancée." I lied, pretending to fall for his spell.

"Did you leave him?" he asked as he walked.

"I had an affair." I laughed inside. Like I would do _that._

"I wonder what he'll do to you when we see him."

"Probably kill me."

"Maybe he'll share." He seemed excited as he brushed his hand over my cheek. _Pervert. _


	3. You're Not Crazy

**A/n: Thanks for all the wonderful comment you guys! I know I _have _to continue writing this. haha. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. It all belongs to the wonderful creater of the Vampire Academy series, Richelle Mead. **

* * *

After he strapped me into my seat, which might I add was highly unnecessary, him and a few more Strigoi drove me to a place they refused to name.

"We're going to Spokane." I rolled my eyes.

They looked at me and growled. "No we're not."

"Yes huh."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"_No!"_

I sat there for a few seconds. "Are we in Spokane yet?"

_"God dammit! _We are _not_ going to Spokane, and we are _definitely _not there yet!"

"I was just asking. Sheesh. Take a chill pill." I smiled inside.

"I'm going to kill her." he muttered to himself.

"Dimitri wouldn't be too happy about that. How would he react if he found out you killed his dinner?" I asked; what would I give to be able to raise my eyebrow right now...?

It didn't matter how much I wanted to go find him by myself. They wanted all the glory of giving me to him; maybe he'd knock some sense into them, seeing as I can't do a very good job. I had thrashed around forever, and they didn't even flinch. It suddenly hit me as we pulled into a familiar town. "Your base is in Missoula?"

* * *

"Dimitri? He's in his room; let me get him for you." A man replied to one of their questions.

"No its fine, I'm sure he would enjoy this more if he got it unexpectedly." He smiled, and they laughed.

I rolled my eyes. Moroi definitely had better jokes, I'll tell you that. "That was lame."

"Like you could do better?"

"I would have said something about being a blood whore." I commented, folding my arms.

"Are you?"

"No, but-" I looked down.

"Aw, did I strike a nerve, little dhampir?" he asked.

That made me angry. "No, and don't call me that." Only Adrian could.

A wave of familiar smell hit me. I wasn't ready. No matter how much I had been ready two seconds ago, my courage was gone.

"Slade." his voice whispered; a slight venom to his voice.

"Belikov." the man holding me greeted him.

Dimitri waved it off and came into view. "Leave her."

The men left immediately. I swallowed and looked at him. His eyes, blood red, gleamed in the dark.

"I'm going to kill you." he said simply, and he darted toward me.

I went for my stake, but he was too fast. Before I could put it in the correct position he slammed into me, throwing me to the ground. Pain seared in my chest. _Ribs... _

"Not fast enough."

"Hold on tight Comrade." I growled, getting up quickly and hitting him hard with one blow, but it was all wrong. I didn't hit the right spot; I missed. Another pain ripped through me and I fell to the ground. The pain came from my chest, but it wasn't a rib this time. I could feel the blood gushing from my wound. He would kill me now, but he didn't come. I looked around and saw him laying on the ground. I hit him, but I missed his heart.

He looked up at me with pained eyes and shock spread across his face. "R- _Roza?"_

I blacked out.

* * *

A familiar voice echoed in my ear and I shot upright, scrambling around.

"Rose! Rose! Its okay. You're sleeping." the voice whispered, holding me.

"Oh Adrian. It was horrible." I cried into him.

"What? What's horrible?" he asked, pulling me away.

"T- the dream? Didn't you see the dream?"

"You weren't dreaming Rose. If you were, I would have seen it." he shook his head.

I stood up and walked away from him. "So it was real."

"What happened?"

"I- I missed." I breathed, falling to my knees.

"You what?"

"I saw him. Dimitri. I attacked, and _missed. _He got me." I cried, putting my hands on my chest where he'd hit me.

"What?! No!" He shouted, standing up.

My skin started fading in and out as I sat there. I looked up at him and he shook his head.

"No! Where are you? You've got to tell me where you are! _Tell me!" _he grabbed my shoulders.

"M- Missoula." I whispered, and he disappeared. I really needed his help this time. I was dying, and there was no one there to heal me. Maybe, I'd see Dimitri on the other side. Adrian was sure to kill him after this. No matter what the price.

* * *

"Get out of here." a voice growled.

I recognized that voice. My eyes fluttered open and I concentrated on her face. "Mom?"

"Rose!" she shouted, standing up. "You're awake!"

"Am I dead?" I asked, attempting to look at my hand, but it tugged on something.

"Uh uh! You have an IV." she whispered, patting it back down.

I growled. "How am I alive?" I asked her, looking around. I quickly rethought that. "Is he here?"

"I'm sorry Rose. He left after he brought you in. He seemed pretty antsy."

It was just like Adrian to do something heroic and then leave before the rewards. I slipped into Lissa's mind while we sat in silence. She was sitting in the lobby trying to talk to Christian, who apparently just got there.

My mother broke the silence with a whisper. "He told me to tell you that you're not crazy."

I smiled as Lissa cracked the door open. "Ah! Rose!" she exclaimed, running over and trying her best to hug me. "Oh my god! I was so worried about you!"

"I told you not to."

She smiled and kissed my forehead. "If you haven't figured it out yet, I don't always listen to you."

"Not always." I agreed. I missed her terribly. Not being able to jump up and hug her was like resisting something I would die without.

"Um Rose?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah Liss?"

"I have a question about-" she swallowed. "Dimitri."

I had forgotten all about that. "Wait, did I kill him?"

"I- I don't know." she admitted, looking down.

"What do you mean 'I don't know'? Is he alive?"

"Yes, but Rose, he's... _alive. _Like, he's_ back_."

I shot up abruptly, like I had just been stabbed in my leg. "He's _alive?!" _

"Rose! Lay down!"

I regretted that move instantly as the medication swirled in my head. I fell back down and blinked my eyes hard. Their figures were swimming in my vision. "I don't feel so-"_ I threw up. _Of course.

* * *

Later, I could finally sit up and eat something. "Lissa, please can you get him in here?"

"They won't let him in. Believe me, he's about to throw punches." she whispered, smiling.

"I want to see him."

"I know you do Rose, and we're trying the best we can."

I folded my arms and laid my head back on the pillow. "I guess I could get some sleep. I really need to talk to Adrian too. Liss, could you turn the light off?"

She followed my instruction and sat back down, watching me.

"Thanks." My mind shrunk into blackness and then the familiar place surrounded me. "Adrian? I know you're here. Please, I need to talk to you."

"Fine. Talk." he came into sight.

"Thank you for saving me."

"Yeah yeah."

"I'm serious. I wouldn't be alive if you hadn't been there." I grabbed his hand.

"Don't get all mushy on my Rose. I'm not a very soft guy." he moaned as I hugged him.

"I think you could be." I smiled, letting him go.

We were quiet for a minute. "What really happened?" I asked him abruptly.

"When?" he asked, but he already knew. "Okay. Well, we were talking and when you started to fade, your aura just- disappeared."

"Disappeared?" I gasped.

"Yeah it freaked me out. I new something was wrong, but I knew you wouldn't tell me where you were. Hey, about that. Why _did _you tell me?"

"You didn't try to use compulsion?" I asked sarcastically, putting my hand on one hip.

"Nice try."

"Okay, well. I knew I was in trouble, and since I had failed at getting Dimitri, I figured he'd still be there when someone arrived."

"Th- that's all?"

"I guess."

"Okay, well I might want to tell you something about your guardian friend."

"I heard he's okay." I told him, putting my arm down.

"Yeah, he's there at the academy somewhere. He said he wasn't going to leave until he talked to you." he shook his head, rolling his eyes.

"How is that possible?"

"What? That he's alive? Oh yeah. I don't know about that." he shook his head again.

"Where is he going?" I almost begged him.

"The Royal Court."

"What's he going to do_ there_?"

"He has to explain why he's alive. The school guardians won't let him out of their sight. Good luck talking to him."

I sighed; he was right. How _was _I going to get around them? "I'll find a way."

"You always do." he nodded. The look on his face reminded me of the one he gave me when I told him I was leaving. It hurt to think about him that way.

"Adrian, about the promise I made..."

"You don't have to do it."

"I don't?"

"I understand now, how much you truly love him. I'll find somebody, Rose." he smiled. I couldn't think of this as a 'I'm off the hook' kind of thing, so I hugged him.


	4. Shadow Kissed

****

A/n: Ahhh wonderful reviews you guys! You guys have been begging for more, and I know its been taking me a while. Well, here it is!

**Disclaimer: Do you really think _I'm _Richelle Mead? Pah. I know she writes ffs sometimes, but I'm not _that _good!! I don't own anything except the events that happen I guess. **

* * *

It took a lot of convincing, but they let me out; Lissa walked with me to the lunch room, trying to pry some information out of me. The sound of running footsteps caught my attention. A boy ran in front of me and looked into my face.

"Rose! I'm so glad you're okay!" he exclaimed, letting out a long breath.

"Hey Eddie." I laughed.

"So what happened?" he asked, walking at my side.

"Good luck. I've been trying to pump her for info all day." Lissa laughed, shaking her head.

"Honestly Ed, I don't know."

"Everyone's buzzing with it, and no one will go near Belikov."

"You've seen him?" I asked, stopping.

"Yeah, he's in the cafeteria now." he motioned to the door.

I looked at Liss, and and she smiled. "Go."

"Thank you!" I cried, and started to run. When I got inside, I looked around.

"Hey Rose." someone called from behind me. I turned and looked at him, folding my was _not _the voice I was hoping to hear right now, or _ever_ for that matter.

"Damn it, Jesse. Just when I know I'm having a good day." Well, it was okay.

"You lookin' for Belikov?" he asked, leaning on the wall.

"He's going to be lookin' for _you_ if you don't leave. _Now._" I snapped harshly. I was proud of myself; I hadn't used a good threat in awhile.

"Its so good to see you back at the academy Rose."

"Yeah right."

"Seriously! Everything has gone awry lately. Kirova was about to resign, Christian's aunt was here bawling her eyes out, and Alto was trying to settle everything down. We missed you." he tried to reassure me.

"You really think I'm going to believe that you missed me Jesse?" I asked, turning.

He rolled his eyes. "Well, not _me_."

I left without another word. What would I give to have a psychic bond with Dimitri right now...

"Rose!" Lissa waved me over.

He was standing two feet across from her, as beautiful as ever. His stare burned something inside of me. I needed to touch him. _Immediately._ In a second, I was standing two inches away from him. "Dimitri." I hid my smile, 'accidentally' bumping into his arm. I was trying to mature about this.

"Roza..." he whispered, confused. There it was. The sweet luster of his voice caught me off guard. He was yearning to touch _me_ too. To drag me off to his room and touch me everywhere.

"There's Christan... Eddie...?" Lissa smiled.

"Coming." he smiled back at her before shooting me a wink.

I wasn't aware of the people that were accumulating around us. Only he mattered now. "I missed you." I broke my maturity right there, hugging him.

He didn't seem at all worried about the onlookers; he hugged me back, just as tight. "Roza..." he whispered again. He didn't have to utter another word. It was a million tied into one. The way it rolled off his tongue, and the way it made him stagger for breath as he said it, was simply breathtaking.

* * *

I kissed his neck softly. We had barely said two words to each other yet, but we didn't need to. We just knew. He rolled over on the bed and looked me in the eyes.

"Roza," he said for the hundredth time tonight. "I want you to come to the court with me."

I looked into his eyes. "I'd go anywhere with you."

He closed them. "This is a serious thing, Roza. I need you to testify."

I sat up. "I have to tell them how I did it?" I couldn't do it.

"I don't remember anything. It has to be you." he whispered, sitting up too.

"But neither do I!"

"You don't?"

"The only thing I remember is attacking you, basically missing, and bleeding." I counted it off on my fingers.

"About that... I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You weren't yourself." I shook my head.

"That's just it. I wasn't the one doing it, but I was inside. I watched everything I did, and I still don't remember." he looked down and then back at me, brushing some hairs from my face in the process.

"Wait... I do remember one thing. After you hit me, you whispered my name."

His eyes widened. "I did?"

"Yes; in Russian."

He looked down and swung his feet over the side of the bed. He sat there for a minute, deep in thought. "That isn't possible. If I was Strigoi, I wouldn't remember you."

"Then how did you know to bring me there?"

"I would have remembered your name and the fact that you were coming for me, but I wouldn't remember loving you. Or the fact that I call you Roza." he shook his head.

"What is it then?"

"Maybe when you hit me, I came back somehow? I wonder if it had something to do with you being shadow-kissed..."

That was one thing. I had a connection with the world of the dead. Maybe, in a way, it wasn't his time? "This is weird."

"You've got that right. I don't think anyone has been shadow-kissed since Anna. That would explain our lack of knowledge." he shook his head again.

A thought popped in my head, and I turned to look at him. "Why don't we read through some of those books in the church about St. Vlad? They have some stuff on Anna."

"Good idea. Lets make it quick so we aren't late." he nodded, standing up. He kissed me once on the forehead and quickly changed his clothes.

* * *

We searched through hundreds of books, maybe even _thousands._

"I don't think we'll find anything." Dimitri let out, following a large sigh.

I skimmed through the last book, when something caught my eye. "Dimitri, listen to this. _Some say that Vladamir had secret ways or changing his enemy's minds, but personally, I think it was Anna._" I paused, looking up at him. "_We know that Anna was 'shadow-kissed' but what does that entail? My guess, is that with this ability, she could bring back the souls of lost beings._" I looked back up at him.

"Okay, 'bring back the souls of lost beings'. That's something. When you become Strigoi, you lose your soul." he stroked his chin.

"Lets talk about this hypothetically." I suggested. "So she encounters a Strigoi."

"She searches the world of the dead for their soul?" Dimitri guessed.

"Or someone handed it to her." I looked into his eyes.

"A ghost _could _do that."

"I thought you didn't believe in ghosts." I smiled, breaking the serious mood.

He smiled too. "Maybe someone that had to do with the person becoming a Strigoi?"

I looked down. "If they killed someone yes, but what if you were _turned _Strigoi?"

"An attack victim, old relative?" he threw out.

"That would make sense."

"I guess it could be a good thing that were getting out of here. Maybe I could find someone to talk to on the way there that could tell me about all this."

"Good idea, but we better get going." he stood up.

We cleaned up the books and headed out front.

"Ah ah. Miss Hathaway, what are you doing?" Kirova asked as we walked outside.

"I'm going to the hearing ma'am."

"No you're not."

"Hey, I killed him! Don't you think I have a say in this?" I asked, trying to raise an eyebrow. I gave up another failed attempt.

She let out a mumble and waved it off. "Hurry! We don't want you to be late! Your plane takes off in thirty minutes!"

Someone tapped me on the shoulder. "Rose, have you seen Lissa?" Christian asked me.

"Hold on." I closed my eyes. She was trying blocking me out.

"Whatever she's doing, she won't let me know." I shook my head.

"I haven't seen her all morning." he frowned, a look of worry on his face.

"I'm sure she'll turn up." I smiled, and you know Eddie has to be with her. "Oh, I'm really sorry about bailing on the field experience."

"Nah its okay. Eddie took on both posts wonderfully." he nodded, rolling his eyes.

"That's Eddie for you."

"I'll see you later Rose." he waved, turning to leave.

"Hey Christian?" I called, "Thanks for taking care of her."

"No problem Rose. She's worth it." he shouted back.

"Rose, we're ready to leave." Dimitri called, putting his arm around my back, guiding me.

When I got settled in my seat, I turned around to see who all was going. One girl caught my eye though. She had her face covered with a scarf, but he movements were very closed and insecure. I told Dimitri I would be back, and went to sat next to her. "Are you okay?" I asked her.

"I'm fine." she whispered, eyes sparkling. I was convinced, and stood up.

When I was free of her gaze, I stopped walking. She had just used compulsion on me. I turned around and folded my arms. "Lissa!" I shouted angrily, removing the scarf from her face. She looked at me for a brief second, and started to cry.


	5. Zeklos

**A/n: Sorry about the wait, and the length. I feel bad about losing interest. **

"Lissa? Lissa come out of there!" I shouted, banging on the bathroom door.

"No!" she sobbed, blowing her nose.

"Come on Liss! I just want to talk to you." I called, banging my head on the door lightly.

"Rose..." Dimitri whispered, putting a hand on my shoulder.

I looked at him and sighed. Then, put two fingers to my head like a gun and pulled the trigger.

He smiled, kissing my forehead. "Lissa-"

I suddenly sank into her. Lissa's mind was clouded with rage. _Adrian was supposed to help me through this. _Her mind screamed at me. _He can't just take me off my medication and leave!_

I looked down and then at Dimitri. "Where did Adrian go when he left?"

He shrugged and tried to guess what I was thinking.

"I need to talk to him..." I whispered, to myself. "Liss, I'm going to see what I can do. I'll be back. You're going to be fine." Quickly, I sat back down in my seat. It wasn't hard slipping into unconsciousness.

I sat down in the sun, waiting.

"I knew you'd be looking for me."

I looked at him and folded my arms.

"Well, cuss me out."

"I'm not going to cuss you out, no matter how much I want to. You really hurt Lissa, you know." I snapped, standing up at walking over to him.

"Lissa? We're going to talk about Lissa?"

"What did you think I would want to talk about?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips.

"Um..."

"Adrian!"

"Okay, well her_ Royal Highness_ wants Victor Dashkov at the hearing." he whispered, barely audible.

"_What?_" I shouted, suddenly infuriated.

"He says he knows something about you and your guardian friend." he raised an eyebrow.

I shook my head. "He's going to tell everyone, and this time, they're going to believe it."

"I did tell her that you weren't interested in me anymore. She was delighted." he frowned.

This time, Victor Dashkov was going to get his revenge. "Wait, anymore?"

"You have to admit, you were mildly attracted for a while."

I shook my head again. "Stop distracting me."

"What's the big deal? So you have a boyfriend." he shrugged.

"They won't let us both guard Lissa once I graduate." I explained.

"So? Why can't protect someone else? Isn't Lissa going to the Royal Court for school? Why can't he guard someone that lives in the court? You'd still see each other."

I opened my mouth to argue, but he had a point. "Stop that."

He smiled.

"Back to reason I'm here. You upset Lissa."

"I didn't mean to. She's got you anyway. Can't she do the energy transfer thingy?"

"That's not the point. She trusted you to help her." I snapped.

"Well I'm a little busy right now. I'll visit..."

I rolled my eyes. "What are you so busy with, that you can't keep a girl from committing-"

"I'm seeing someone."

I fell backwards. "What? Someone? Like a _girl?" _

"No, a dog. Of course a girl, damn Rose."

"I'm sorry. But who is she?"

"Katelyn Zeklos."

"Jesse's sister?" I almost growled.

"Cousin, but she's not as bad as most of the Zeklos' are." he admitted, testing my reaction.

"Aw Adrian." I smiled, punching his shoulder.

"Am I off the hook?"

"For now. I'm going to see what Lissa has to say about it." I laughed, and woke up.

"Hey Dimitri, how's she doing?" I asked, sitting up.

"She's out of the bathroom. Last row."

"Thanks." I whispered, making my way back there.

"Liss?" I whispered, sitting next to her.

"Did you talk to him?"

"I did. He told me the reason he left. You're going to laugh." I smiled, taking the hair out of her eyes. She looked at me curiously.

"What did he do?"

"He's dating somebody!"

"What? When? _Who?_"

I nodded. "I don't know how long, but its Katelyn Zeklos."

"Aw she's really pretty, and nice." she nodded. "Unlike her cousin."

"Yeah, he's an ass."

She laughed. "I guess that's okay. At least he has a good reason... I feel bad now."

I was trying to come up with a good way to tell her about Victor. There was no way I could tell her now, with her emotions flaring up like this. "Hey, does Christian have any plans for a guardian next year?" I asked, changing the subject.

"I don't think anyone would want to guard him. He doesn't like the pressure anyway." she wiped her nose and looked at me.

"I think I have a way that I can guard you and see Dimitri at the same time."

"You want Dimitri to guard Christian?" she gasped, looking at him.

"Don't you think that would make sense?"

"I- I guess it does. I've never though of that!"

"Thank Adrian for that one."

"I will."

We were quiet for a minute and she started laughing. "Katelyn Zeklos!" she smiled, shaking her head.

**A/N2: I think that's the way they should be assigned, so they can still be together.**


End file.
